Getting Help
Getting help should feel clear, safe, and possible. This page helps learners, parents, caregivers, trusted adults, schools, and organizations understand what to do when a child has a worry, feels unsafe, or needs support.
Immediate danger or urgent safety concern
If a child or young person is in immediate danger, contact the appropriate local emergency service, child protection service, school safeguarding contact, or trusted authority right away. This page provides general safeguarding guidance and does not replace emergency support, legal advice, medical care, or official reporting requirements.
Helping children know they can speak up
Children are more likely to ask for help when adults talk about safety before there is a crisis. Clear guidance helps learners understand that worries can be shared, trusted adults can help, and asking for support is the right thing to do.
Trusted adults
Help children identify safe adults at home, school, in activities, and in the community who can listen and help.
Safe conversations
Encourage calm, age-aware conversations so children know they can talk about worries without fear, shame, or blame.
Support pathways
Make it clear who to contact, what to say, and what steps may happen after a concern is shared.
When should someone ask for help?
A learner or trusted adult should ask for help whenever something feels unsafe, confusing, pressured, secretive, uncomfortable, threatening, or harmful. It is better to ask early than to wait until a concern becomes more serious.
- A child feels unsafe, scared, pressured, confused, or uncomfortable.
- Someone asks a child to keep an unsafe secret.
- There is bullying, harassment, threats, or harmful behavior.
- There are unsafe messages, images, requests, or contact online.
- A child is worried about a friend, classmate, family member, or adult.
- An adult notices signs that a child may need protection or support.
A simple getting-help framework
Learners and trusted adults need steps that are easy to remember when support is needed.
Notice the concern
Pay attention when something feels unsafe, uncomfortable, pressured, secretive, confusing, or wrong.
Tell a trusted adult
Speak with a parent, caregiver, teacher, counselor, school leader, safeguarding contact, or another safe adult.
Share what happened
Use simple words. Explain what happened, who was involved, where it happened, and whether there is any immediate danger.
Keep asking until help is found
If the first adult does not understand or act, tell another trusted adult or appropriate support contact.
For trusted adults receiving a concern
The way an adult responds can affect whether a child feels safe asking for help again. Trusted adults should focus on calm support, safety, and the correct next step.
What to do
- Stay calm and listen carefully.
- Thank the child for telling you.
- Reassure the child that asking for help was the right thing to do.
- Focus on immediate safety and support.
- Follow the correct school, family, organization, or local support pathway.
- Record or share information responsibly when required.
What to avoid
- Do not blame the child.
- Do not panic or overreact in front of the child.
- Do not promise secrecy.
- Do not pressure the child for unnecessary details.
- Do not confront others or investigate the concern yourself.
- Do not ignore the concern or delay support when safety may be at risk.
If online messages, images, or posts are involved
When it is safe to do so, avoid deleting important messages, images, links, usernames, or screenshots before speaking with a trusted adult or appropriate support contact. This can help schools, families, platforms, or authorities understand what happened and decide the next responsible step.
Where help may come from
The right support pathway depends on the concern, the setting, and whether there is immediate danger.
Family
Parents, caregivers, guardians, or trusted family adults who can listen and help with next steps.
School
Teachers, counselors, school leaders, safeguarding contacts, nurses, or student support staff.
Organization
Program leaders, activity staff, child protection contacts, supervisors, or designated support people.
Local support
Emergency services, child protection services, medical care, counseling support, or appropriate local authorities when needed.
Related safeguarding training
Getting help connects closely with student training, trusted adult training, parent training, and online safety.
Student Training
Age-aware learning for online safety, personal safety, trusted adults, and asking for help.
Learn moreTrusted Adult Training
Guidance for listening, responding calmly, and helping children reach support.
Learn moreParent Training
Support safer family conversations around boundaries, online safety, and trusted support.
Learn moreOnline Safety
Digital safety, privacy awareness, safer communication, and help-seeking online.
Learn moreHelp & FAQ
Use these common questions for training access, accounts, progress, certificates, parent support, organization setup, and safety concerns.
I cannot log in. What should I do?
Check that you are using the correct email, username, or organization access link. If you still cannot log in, contact your school, organization administrator, or Child Protect support.
I cannot see my assigned course.
Confirm that you are signed in to the correct account and that your school or organization has assigned the course. If the course is still missing, contact the person who manages training for your organization.
My progress is not updating.
Make sure the lesson or training step was fully completed before leaving the page. Refresh the page, sign out and back in, or try another browser. If the issue continues, contact support with the course name and step where the issue happened.
I completed training but cannot see my certificate.
Certificates may only appear when certificate settings are enabled and all required training steps or checks are complete. If you believe you completed everything, contact your school, organization administrator, or Child Protect support.
Can a parent or caregiver help a child with training?
Yes. A parent, caregiver, or trusted adult may help a child understand the training, read instructions, and ask questions. The adult should support learning honestly and should not complete the training dishonestly for the child.
What should schools or organizations check before assigning training?
Schools and organizations should confirm learner access, parent or guardian communication where needed, privacy responsibilities, child data handling, course assignments, and support contacts before assigning training.
What if a child says something worrying during or after training?
Stay calm, listen carefully, do not promise secrecy, and follow the correct school, family, organization, child protection, or emergency pathway. The portal is not a replacement for official support or reporting procedures.
Is the portal an emergency reporting system?
No. If a child may be in immediate danger, use the appropriate emergency, school, parent, guardian, child protection, medical, or trusted authority channel immediately.
Who can help with privacy or child data questions?
Review the Privacy Policy and Child Data Notice. For account-specific or organization-specific questions, contact Child Protect support or the school or organization that assigned the training.
Who do I contact for technical support?
Use the contact page and include the course name, account email if appropriate, device type, browser, screenshot if safe to share, and a short explanation of what happened.
Make getting help easier to understand
Use Child Protect to help learners and trusted adults understand safety concerns, support pathways, calm responses, and when to get additional help.
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